Celebrity news

Rainn Wilson knows he'll be remembered as Dwight Schrute, the odd, overly confident character lacking social graces that he played on NBC's "The Office" for nine seasons.

"I have no problem being known as Dwight until the day that I die. I'm so blessed and lucky," the 49-year-old actor said in an interview.

He's hoping that his newest role will put him in a category with Ed O'Neill and Bryan Cranston as "great TV actors who've done very different roles."

Wilson stars in Fox's "Backstrom," premiering Thursday at 8 p.m. Twin Cities time. He plays Everett Backstrom, a cantankerous detective in Portland, Ore., who is as good at his job as he is offensive. His emotions are all over the place, and Wilson loves that complexity. "There can be scenes with him crying, scenes with him acting ridiculous and everything in between," he said. "For an actor you just love that."

Grammy performance roster expands

One sings about being "Happy," the other croons about being sad: Pharrell and Sam Smith will perform at the Grammys next month. The Recording Academy announced that Usher and Miranda Lambert also will take the stage at the Feb. 8 show in Los Angeles. Common and John Legend will perform their Golden Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated song, "Glory," from the movie "Selma." Smith, Pharrell and Beyoncé are the Grammy leaders with six nominations apiece. They will battle Beck and Ed Sheeran for the top prize, album of the year. Previously announced performers include Madonna, AC/DC, Ariana Grande, Eric Church and Sheeran.

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Settled: The family of a comedian killed in the New Jersey Turnpike crash that seriously injured Tracy Morgan last summer has settled a wrongful death claim with Wal-Mart. The out-of-court, confidential settlement between the company and the estate of James McNair is the first stemming from the June 7 crash in which a Wal-Mart truck slammed into a limo van carrying Morgan and the others. Morgan, a former "Saturday Night Live" and "30 Rock" star, suffered a traumatic brain injury. Criminal charges against truck driver Kevin Roper are pending. McNair, 62, died at the scene.

Tribute: James Taylor and Paul Simon paid tribute to late jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker with performances and kind words at a cancer benefit for their friend who died in 2007. "I miss him all the time," Taylor said after the performance. "Michael saved my life." Brecker, who died at age 57, won more than a dozen Grammy Awards. The benefit raised $1.2 million for medical research.